Cardozo Education Campus, formerly Cardozo Senior High School and Central High School, is a combined middle and high school at 13th and Clifton Street in northwest Washington, D.C., United States, in the Columbia Heights neighborhood. Cardozo is operated by District of Columbia Public Schools. The school is named after clergyman, politician, and educator Francis Lewis Cardozo.

Central High School

The Advanced Grammar School for Boys was established in 1877 and then combined with a similar school for girls in 1882 to form Washington High School, the first high school in the city. In 1890, the High School was split into three, with one high school opened in the current Peabody Elementary School building on

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...

and another in Georgetown in the Curtis Building. As a result, the Washington High School became known as Central High School. In 1916, the school moved from Seventh and O to Thirteenth and Clifton. Known locally as "the castle on the hill", Cardozo's iconic building was designed by architect

William B. Ittner William Butts Ittner (September 4, 1864 – 1936) was an architect in St. Louis, Missouri. He designed over 430 school buildings in Missouri and other areas, was president of the St. Louis Chapter of the American Institute of Architects from 1893 ...

, a nationally renowned school building architect. The building was dedicated on February 15, 1917.

Cardozo Senior High School

Cardozo Senior High School was established in 1928. Originally located at Rhode Island Avenue and Ninth Street NW, it relocated to the Central High School building in 1950 and renamed. Cardozo was assigned for "colored" students in the segregated system and became one of three black high schools in DC. The U Street Metro station is partially named after this school, with "Cardozo" in the station's subtitle. Likewise, an alternative,

Urban Renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

-era name for the Columbia Heights neighborhood is ''Upper Cardozo'', and some of the public buildings in the area still bear this name. Until the 1954 opening of the all-black Luther Jackson High School in

Fairfax County, Virginia Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...

,History
." Luther Jackson Middle School. Retrieved on June 4, 2016. Cardozo and several other DCPS schools, along with a school in Manassas, Virginia, enrolled black secondary school students from the Fairfax County Public Schools as that district did not yet operate secondary schools for blacks. During the 1970s and 1980s, Cardozo High School's marching band was one of the best in Washington, DC, and won several band competitions. The band was invited to participate in the

Rose Parade The Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses Parade (or simply the Tournament of Roses), is an annual parade held mostly along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, United States, on New Year's Day (or on Monday, January 2 if N ...

in 1981.

Renovation

In December 2011, work began to completely renovate Cardozo from the inside-out. Everything from exterior facade's crumbling masonry and shoddy window panes to the interior's dark, dingy hallways and outdated classroom spaces were replaced or restored to their original glory. Technology was added to classrooms, wood floors throughout the building were refinished, and the two courtyard spaces in the center of the school were turned into enclosed atrium spaces with the addition of glass skylights. The athletic facilities were improved and expanded as well, with a regulation-size gymnasium added onto the west side of the building. The swimming pool was also restored. In all, the renovation cost approximately $130 million and the school reopened for a new school year in August 2013. In addition to the physical changes to the building itself, the student body was increased with the addition of middle school students from the now-closed Shaw Middle School and the campus was renamed as Cardozo Education Campus.

Shootings

Four different shootings happened on the school campus: the first on January 23, 1969 (1 dead, no injuries); the second on January 6, 1995 (1 dead, no injuries); the third on April 2, 2003 (1 injured, no deaths); and the fourth on September 22, 2006 (1 injured, no deaths).

In popular culture

The video for the ''

Don't Copy That Floppy ''Don't Copy That Floppy'' was an anti-copyright infringement campaign run by the Software Publishers Association (SPA) beginning in 1992. The video for the campaign, starring M. E. Hart as "MC Double Def DP", was filmed at Cardozo High Sch ...

'' anti-software piracy campaign was shot at Cardozo. The school appears in Wale's "Chillin" music video. The school's marching band appears in the parade at the end of the movie, D.C. Cab.

Notable alumni

Central High School *

Beatrice Aitchison Beatrice Aitchison (July 18, 1908 – September 22, 1997) was an American mathematician, statistician, and transportation economist who directed the Transport Economics Division of the United States Department of Commerce,. Biography on p.8-12 ...

, mathematician *

Caleb T. Bailey Caleb Thayer "Zeke" Bailey (August 28, 1898 – January 13, 1957) was a decorated officer and naval aviator in the United States Marine Corps with the rank of brigadier general. An excellent athlete while at the University of Maryland, he dis ...

, United States Marine Corps brigadier general * Sylvia Bernstein, civil rights activist * Selma Munter Borchardt (1895– 1968), educator, lawyer, labor leader and lobbyist *

William G. Draper William G. Draper (June 28, 1920 – November 26, 1964) was a career military officer and Air Force Aide to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was born in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio and graduated from Central High School in Washington, D.C. in 193 ...

, US Air Force pilot * George Dantzig, mathematician *

Pat Foote Evelyn Patricia Foote (born May 19, 1930) is a retired United States Army officer. She served from 1959 to 1989, rising to the rank of brigadier general in 1986, and holds many firsts for women in the United States Army. Early life and education P ...

, U.S. Army brigadier general *

Charles D. Griffin Admiral (United States), Admiral Charles Donald Griffin (January 12, 1906 – June 26, 1996) was a List of United States Navy four-star admirals, four-star admiral in the United States Navy who served as commander in chief of United States Naval Fo ...

, Navy admiral * Herbert Haft, founder of Dart Drug and Crown Books discount chains * J. Edgar Hoover, FBI director *

Yvonne Levy Kushner Yvonne Kushner (née Levy; October 12, 1906 – February 8, 1990) was an American actress and socialite in New York and Washington, DC. She became a philanthropist for women's health and Jewish causes. Early life Yvonne Levy was born on October ...

, actress *

Robert B. Luckey Robert Burneston Luckey (July 9, 1905 – September 9, 1974) was a decorated officer in the United States Marine Corps with the rank of lieutenant general. A veteran of several wars, Luckey completed his career as commanding general, Fleet Marine ...

, Marine Corps general * Bruce Magruder (1903), U.S. Army major general *

John S. McCain Jr. John Sidney "Jack" McCain Jr. (January 17, 1911 – March 22, 1981) was a United States Navy admiral who served in conflicts from the 1940s through the 1970s, including as the Commander, United States Pacific Command. The son of a naval officer, ...

, Navy admiral *

John F. O'Leary John Francis O'Leary (June 23, 1926 – December 19, 1987) was an American government official and business executive. He held top positions in the Federal Energy Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy before moving to the private sec ...

, U.S. government official *

Lansdale Sasscer Lansdale Ghiselin Sasscer (September 30, 1893 – November 5, 1964) represented the fifth district of the state of Maryland in the United States House of Representatives for seven terms from 1939 to 1953. Sasscer was born in Upper Marlboro, ...

, U.S. Congressman * John F. Shafroth Jr., U.S. Navy vice admiral * Alfred Sao-ke Sze, Chinese politician and diplomat * Oliver Lyman Spaulding (1891), U.S. Army brigadier general *

Karl Truesdell Karl Truesdell (August 27, 1882 – July 16, 1955) was a career officer in the United States Army who attained the rank of major general and was a veteran of both World War I and World War II. He was most notable for his leadership assignments as ...

, U.S. Army major general *

Arthur Cutts Willard Arthur Cutts Willard (August 12, 1878 – November 11, 1960) was the ninth president of the University of Illinois and an innovator in the field of heating and ventilation. Known for being approachable, a gentleman and well-dressed; he was known ...

, engineer and university president Cardozo Senior High *

H. R. Crawford Hazle Reid Crawford (January 18, 1939 – February 10, 2017) was an American real estate developer and Democratic politician in Washington, D.C. Early life Crawford was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on January 18, 1939.

(1957), politician *

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

, musician *

Petey Green Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene, Jr. (January 23, 1931 – January 10, 1984), was an American television and radio talk-show host. A two-time Emmy Award-winner, Greene overcame drug addiction and a prison sentence for armed robbery to become one of th ...

, radio host *

Moochie Norris Martyn Bernard "Moochie" Norris (born July 27, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player who played several seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as other leagues. He is the head coach of the Houston Push ...

, basketball player *

James E. Mayo James E. Mayo (1936-1995) was an American exhibition specialist. He held this role at the Anacostia Community Museum, where he also was co-director. Personal life and education James Mayo was born and raised in Washington, D.C. After he graduated ...

, museum director * Conrad Tillard (born 1964), politician, Baptist minister, radio host, author, and activist * Maury Wills, baseball player

Feeder patterns

The following elementary schools feed into Cardozo: * Marie Reed Elementary School * Cleveland Elementary School * Garrison Elementary School * Raymond Education Campus * School Without Walls @ Francis-Stevens * Seaton Elementary School * Ross Elementary School The following middle schools feed into Cardozo: * Raymond Education Campus * School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens

References

External links

* {{DC High Schools 1928 establishments in Washington, D.C. Columbia Heights, Washington, D.C. Educational institutions established in 1928 Gothic Revival architecture in Washington, D.C. Public high schools in Washington, D.C. School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. William B. Ittner buildings African-American history of Washington, D.C. District of Columbia Public Schools